Hot chocolate spoons

I saw somewhere today that there are only two more Sundays until Christmas. Shit. I’m always terrible at gift giving but this year has crept up on me quicker than ever. Having to buy Christmas presents at a time when I’m supposed to be paying off student debt doesn’t make me resentful exactly, but I do wince a bit when I part with £30 for a gift for someone, even if I know they would really love it. Obviously somewhere along the lines since graduating I have developed what I like to call a “money conscience” – actually budgeting, buying mainly only things I need and trying not to spend my last tenner on topping up my Starbucks card (this has happened more than once in my young adult life. They do food there though right?) It doesn’t feel good.

This isn’t helped by the fact that my family are all super generous at Christmas. Not in an extreme “big fat gypsy Christmas” way, but there is a certain amount of pressure to make sure you’ve got enough for everyone, and that the gifts you get are all completely thoughtful and not from a charity shop. Usually I can think of things I want to get people as a main present that aren’t that expensive, but it’s the little extras that make the cost add up. My gran recently showed me a list where she had made sure she had spent exactly £73 on every member of the family. It was very organised, but is that really the spirit of giving? It was up to me, things wouldn’t be quite so frenzied. Alas, it isn’t, for the time being.

If you are looking for some little extra gifts or stocking fillers, I’ve got a great idea for what you can do. Alright, I didn’t invent chocolate spoons, but I usually always get one for Christmas and I love them so I thought I would have a go at making them myself as a trial run, and make some more to give to people for Christmas if they turn out well. They did! You don’t have to buy loads of fancy stuff either. I got all of this stuff from Asda for about a tenner, but if you’re using standard chocolate instead of dairy free, they’ll probably be cheaper still.

Recipe: hot chocolate spoons – makes roughly 9 spoons

Ingredients

Three different types of chocolate of your choosing. You can do a classic milk, white and dark, or I went for dark with mint and lemon, dairy free “milk”, and dairy free “milk” with orange.

Some little extras to decorate them – I used mini marshmallows and salted caramel fudge pieces, both from the baking aisle. You can use whatever you want!

You will also need

A deep, silicone ice cube tray

Mini disposible wooden spoons

Some little decorations if you’re giving them as gifts. I just got a packet of little bows in the gift wrap aisle.

Method

The day before you want them to be ready, melt each of your chocolates separately. I didn’t have a glass bowl for some reason, so I did them in the microwave (lol food blogger faux pas) and they turned out fine.

Fill each ice cube tray part 3/4 of the way full with chocolate, and stick a mini spoon in the centre. Don’t worry if the spoons don’t stay completely upright, it won’t affect the result you are trying to achieve. Stick them in the fridge and then wait overnight.

The next day, pop them out of the tray. Don’t worry if you think you’re going to break them, they’re actually really sturdy. Decorate them, or if you’re going to have one yourself, heat some milk (I used soya light) and slowly mix the chocolate spoon in until it’s all melted and mixed in. Enjoy your hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire, or stuff them into stockings.